A heads up that this story is about gun violence in all its forms. It may not be appropriate for everyone, so please take care.

Gun violence is a national public health crisis. That's the message this week from U.S. Surgeon General of the

Vavake Morthy. It's the first time the Surgeon General's office has ever

issued a public health advisory about firearms. Morthy says his goal is to reframe the conversation about

Morthy says his goal is to reframe the conversation about death by gunfire.

I lay out a series of strategies in this advisory that we can take to address the

scourge of gun violence.

That's Morthy speaking on NPR's here and now earlier this week.

The scourge of gun violence he's referring to has a number.

More than 48,000 Americans were killed by guns in 2021.

That's according to the CDC's most recent annual data.

Over half those gun deaths were by suicide.

And what we have to recognize is the toll that it's taking on us.

The highest price we're paying are the lives lost.

Nearly 50,000 a year.

But for every one person who loses your life,

the gun violence, you are two who are injured

and who survive, but with mental and physical consequences.

Eric Brown is a survivor.

He and a friend were both shot outside their car in Chicago a couple years ago

waiting for a take-out order at a vegan restaurant. They each recovered from their

physical injuries, but not long after the shooting, Brown told me about the mental

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